A method for treating substrates with treating liquids, using a treating tank for storing the treating liquids, a holding mechanism for holding the substrates and placing the substrates in a treating position inside the treating tank, a first and a second treating liquid supply device, a temperature control device, and a control device. A first treating liquid is supplied into the treating tank, then a second treating liquid of lower surface tension and higher boiling point than the first treating liquid, is supplied into the treating tank, and placed in a temperature range above the boiling point of the first treating liquid and below the boiling point of the second treating liquid, and then controlling the second treating liquid supply device to replace the first treating liquid stored in the treating tank with the second treating liquid, and controlling the temperature control device to maintain the second treating liquid in the same said temperature range.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A substrate treating method for treating substrates with treating liquids, comprising the steps of: storing the treating liquids in a treating tank; holding the substrates in a treating position inside said treating tank; supplying a first treating liquid into said treating tank; supplying a second treating liquid of lower surface tension than the first treating liquid and higher boiling point than the first treating liquid, into said treating tank; controlling a temperature of the second treating liquid in said treating tank to be in a temperature range above the boiling point of the first treating liquid and below the boiling point of the second treating liquid; controlling said second treating liquid supplying step so as to replace the first treating liquid supplied from said first treating liquid supply device and stored in said treating tank with the second treating liquid; and controlling said temperature controlling step so as to maintain the second treating liquid in said temperature range.
2. The method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the first treating liquid is deionized water, and the second treating liquid has surface tension equal to or less than 0.02 N/m.
3. The method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the first treating liquid is deionized water, and the second treating liquid is a fluoric inactive liquid.
4. The method as defined in claim 1 , further comprising the steps of supplying a third treating liquid of lower surface tension than the first treating liquid, and lower boiling point than the second treating liquid, into said treating tank; vertically moving the substrates, between the treating position inside said treating tank and a standby position above said treating tank; controlling said third treating liquid supplying step so as to replace the second treating liquid stored in said treating tank with the third treating liquid after substrate treatment with the second treating liquid maintained in said temperature range, and raising the substrates to the standby position after replacement with the third treating liquid inside said treating tank.
5. The method as defined in claim 4 , wherein the first treating liquid is deionized water, and the second treating liquid has surface tension equal to or less than 0.02 N/m.
6. The method as defined in claim 4 , wherein the first treating liquid is deionized water, and the second treating liquid is a fluoric inactive liquid.
7. The method as defined in claim 4 , wherein the first treating liquid is deionized water, and the second treating liquid and the third treating liquids are fluoric inactive liquids having surface tension equal to or less than 0.02 N/m.
8. The method as defined in claim 1 , further comprising the steps of thermally drying the substrates having undergone treatment with the second treating liquid in a hot atmosphere; and controlling said thermal drying step so as to dry the substrates in the hot atmosphere after treatment with the second treating liquid maintained in said temperature range.
9. The method as defined in claim 8 , wherein the first treating liquid is deionized water, and the second treating liquid has surface tension equal to or less than 0.02 N/m.
10. The method as defined in claim 8 , wherein the first treating liquid is deionized water, and the second treating liquid is a fluoric inactive liquid.
11. The method as defined in claim 1 , further comprising the steps of air drying, by air contact, the substrates having undergone treatment with the second treating liquid; and controlling said air drying step so as to dry the substrates by air contact after treatment with the second treating liquid maintained in said temperature range.
12. The method as defined in claim 11 , wherein the first treating liquid is deionized water, and the second treating liquid has surface tension equal to or less than 0.02 N/m.
13. The method as defined in claim 11 , wherein the first treating liquid is deionized water, and the second treating liquid is a fluoric inactive liquid.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
January 6, 2014
September 6, 2016
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